Orange Soar Past Eagles Behind Late Surge

Saturday, January 11

Chestnut Hill, MA

3 PM

Syracuse University

8-8,2-3ACC

Boston College

9-7,1-4ACC

Syracuse

Boston College

1/11/2025 5:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Photo Gallery Adrian Autry Press Conference JJ Starling Interview Kyle Cuffe Interview Eddie Lampkin Interview

Behind 26 points from J.J. Starling and a late boost from Kyle Cuffe Jr., Syracuse (8-8, 2-3 ACC) soared past Boston College (9-7, 1-4 ACC) in the final nine minutes Saturday at Conte Forum to earn its second straight conference victory, 79-71.

The Orange trailed by eight with just under nine minutes remaining in the contest but erased the deficit to even its overall record on the season. Starling and Cuffe Jr. combined for 30 of Syracuse's 47 second-half points to spark the team's late offensive surge.

How The Game Was Decided
Boston College established its largest lead of the contest, 54-46, with 8:51 to go in regulation. From there, Syracuse closed the game on a 33-17 scoring run to complete an emphatic comeback.

Cuffe Jr., who scored all 10 of his points on the day in the final 8:33 of the game, cut Syracuse's deficit to two with a pair of free throws before a Jyare Davis layup leveled the score at 54-54. Starling then knocked down a jumper to push Syracuse ahead for the first time in the second half, 56-54.

After Joshua Beadle evened the score with a jumper for Boston College, Cuffe Jr. connected on back-to-back triples, Syracuse's first and only two of the second half, to give Syracuse a four-point advantage, 62-58. A pair of Starling baskets and two makes at the foul line from Eddie Lampkin Jr. extended the Orange lead to eight and another Starling layup put Syracuse up by nine with 1:23 remaining.

Syracuse held the lead for the final 4:51 of the encounter after not holding an advantage in the second half up to that point.

Starling Stars In Second Half
Starling lifted Syracuse in the second half, scoring 20 of 26 his points after intermission. He went 9-of-14 from the field over the final 20 minutes.

Starling was especially key in helping Syracuse keep pace with Boston College early in the second half, making four of the team's first six shot attempts out of the locker room. He also helped ice the game with a series of clutch makes in the final nine minutes, as he went 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line in Syracuse's closing 33-17 run.

It was Starling's fourth 20-plus point effort this season and second in a row. Syracuse's leading scorer on the season has hit double-digit points in all nine of his appearances.

Eagles Fly Into Halftime
Boston College trailed by seven with just over three minutes to go in the first half but closed the period on a 12-5 run to level the score going into intermission. Chris Bell knocked down three free throws to give the Orange a 32-29 lead with seven seconds remaining, but after the Orange expended their final two fouls to give, Beadle buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the contest to the locker room tied, 32-32.

Hot Start
A scorching start from the field helped Syracuse build an early advantage. The Orange converted on nine of their first 19 field goal attempts, which included a trio of makes from long range. Lucas Taylor poured in 10 points in the opening 8:44 of the contest, a stretch that featured a pair of 3-point makes.

Jaquan Carlos knocked down a triple of his own with 10:04 remaining to push the Orange ahead, 21-13, capping off a 9-0 Syracuse run.

Notable Numbers

For the second time in the last three games, five Syracuse players scored in double figures. Joining Starling (26) and Cuffe Jr. (10) was Taylor (15), Davis (12) and Lampkin Jr. (10).
With his 10 points and team-best 13 boards, Lampkin Jr. secured his fifth double-double of the campaign and second in a row. He also tied Starling for a team-high three assists.
Taylor notched 15 points, just one short of matching his season high. He has scored in double figures in each of the last four contests. Taylor also knocked down two of Syracuse's four triples on the day, extending his streak of consecutive games with multiple long-distance makes to six.
Making his second straight start in place of the injured Donnie Freeman, Davis went 6-of-12 from the field while adding eight rebounds. It was his sixth game this season with double-digit points but the first since Dec. 14 against Georgetown.
The Orange surrendered a season-low five turnovers, snapping a streak of five consecutive outings with 15+ giveaways. It was the fewest turnovers in a game by Syracuse since Dec. 3, 2022, when the Orange gave the ball away just four times against Notre Dame.
As a team, Syracuse shot 16-of-28 (57-percent) from the field and 13-of-14 (93-percent) from the foul line in the second half. The Orange made their final eight free throw attempts to help seal the victory.
The teams finished even in rebounding with 36 apiece.
During its closing 33-17 scoring stretch, the Orange went 9-of-13 from the field and 13-of-14 on free throws.
Of the game's 150 points, 78 came in the paint, with the Orange finishing edging the Eagles, 40-38.
With the victory, Syracuse now holds a 59-27 advantage in the all-time series against Boston College.

Up Next
The Orange are back in the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday for a clash with Louisville. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will air live on ACC Network.

Tickets
Syracuse men's basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).

Gallery: (1-11-2025) Syracuse at Boston College